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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23738119">he's gonna be an angel (just you wait and see)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/happypuppys/pseuds/happypuppys'>happypuppys</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>1917 (Movie 2019)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops &amp; Cafés, Angst, Bookstores, Coming Out, Fluff, Getting Together, Kissing, M/M, eleanor is will's wife in case u dont know (but shes not his wife in this dw)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 01:02:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,357</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23738119</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/happypuppys/pseuds/happypuppys</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Will doesn’t know where anything is in this town. He’s only moved in a couple weeks ago, not had the chance to explore between college and working and just moving everything around in his apartment. If he’s being honest, it has been kinda relaxing not having to deal with knowing where everything is, but now he wants coffee and a place to work on his English work, and the only people who he even fucking knows in this place are Harry, Eleanor, and Leslie. Leslie seems like a bit of a dick, telling him to fuck off when he asked why he was smoking in their screenwriting class (and it was a genuine question), so he wouldn’t even try to ask him. Eleanor would be the person to ask, but she’s trying to get with this french girl named Lauri, who seems really sweet and has been nice to him every time he’s met her, so he doesn’t bother to text her. So, it leaves Harry, who’s probably the closest thing he has to a best friend right now, who’s waiting in his living room as he gets dressed.</p><p>or,</p><p>Will's a writer and he falls in love with the barista at the coffee shop</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Joseph Blake &amp; William Schofield, Tom Blake &amp; William Schofield, Tom Blake/William Schofield</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>he's gonna be an angel (just you wait and see)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>ok so i am Tired but here is my longest fic ever whoop</p><p>big thanks to the 2nd devons server bc they're literally what made me work on this after i could write for like. three days so!!! i love yall</p><p>so this is a sequel to <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23550166">you're so golden</a> except, it's from will's pov so you don't necessarily have to of read that but it's tom's pov so i def recommend you read that as well</p><p>title from harry styles song 'only angel' except i changed the pronoun to he bc i could</p><p>this was very much inspired by harry's album 'fine line' so thats all i listened to while writing this</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Will doesn’t know where anything is in this town. He’s only moved in a couple weeks ago, not had the chance to explore between college and working and just moving everything around in his apartment. If he’s being honest, it has been kinda relaxing not having to deal with knowing where everything is, but now he wants coffee and a place to work on his English work, and the only people who he even fucking knows in this place are Harry, Eleanor, and Leslie. Leslie seems like a bit of a dick, telling him to fuck off when he asked why he was smoking in their screenwriting class (and it was a genuine question), so he wouldn’t even try to ask him. Eleanor would be the person to ask, but she’s trying to get with this french girl named Lauri, who seems really sweet and has been nice to him every time he’s met her, so he doesn’t bother to text her. So, it leaves Harry, who’s probably the closest thing he has to a best friend right now, who’s waiting in his living room as he gets dressed.</p><p>“I wasn’t expecting you for another 20 minutes, I’m sorry.” He says as he pulls his laptop’s plug out of the wall, looking around for the bag. “I wasn’t even expecting you to come in, so I would’ve cleaned up more if I had expected you to come in, and-”</p><p>“Will, it’s alright, really.” Harry grins softly, shifting where he’s standing. “Your apartment looks way better than mine! The most unclean thing in this apartment is the fact that you have books scattered on the floor, and that isn’t even that bad.”</p><p>“Yeah, it is.” Will tries to argue, but there’s no real heat in his voice, and it’s ruined by the fact he’s wearing a light blue sweater that has cats on it, and by his ruffled hair from pulling his laptop bag out from behind the couch.</p><p>A few minutes later, he finally has everything he needs, and he heads out to Harry’s car with him, taking care to not accidentally damage his car. He’s carrying his bag carefully, since it’s full with his laptop, some appear, some pens, and a couple books he needs to reference, just so he can make sure he gets a high grade. It’s about Richard Siken, and he doesn’t want to mess it up.</p><p>“You’re sexy.” Harry says suddenly a few moments later, and Will chokes on air, coughing as he stares at Harry.</p><p>“What?” He finally gets out, Harry grinning beside him. “What the fuck? Why do you say these things unprompted?”<br/>
<br/>
“Lauri dared me to do it for $10, and I really need money for coffee today.” He laughs when Will rolls his eyes, punching his arm. “What do you think she told me to do, anyways?”</p><p>“She obviously told you to joke about something and tell me that I’m sexy when it’s very not true.” Will shrugs, and Harry frowns, shaking his head.</p><p>“About a week ago, she dared me—well, dared isn’t the right word, she just told me to do it and if I actually did it, she’d give me $10— but she dared me to tell you something true about yourself when you’re least expecting it.” Harry glances over, and he must see that Will has a confused and and weirded out face, because he takes a hand off the wheel to grab Will’s hand, as if he’s trying to let him know this wasn’t all a joke, as if he’s trying to let him know he doesn’t think he’s ugly, that he’s not gonna pull the rug out from under Will’s feet and shout <em> we actually think you’re the fucking most awful thing we’ve ever seen in our goddamn life </em>.</p><p>“Thanks.” He says a moment later, and Harry grins, making sure to not wreck the car.</p><p>They arrive at the coffee shop not too long after that, him hoisting his bag on his shoulder. Harry tells him something he saw the night before, while he was scrolling through Instagram, and the video is so unexpected that he laughs as they head towards a booth near the back, setting their stuff down together. He stays at the booth while Harry goes up to the counter, after forcefully telling him he doesn’t want a coffee, not yet. He can see Lauri sitting in a booth by the window, and a teenager in another one, sitting near the door. He doesn’t question either of them, and instead his eyes drift up towards the counter as he pulls everything out.</p><p>Harry’s talking to the barista, and he can’t lie to himself: the barista’s cute. He has brown hair that’s slightly curly, a cute smile that Will can see from over here, and he just seems to act so nice that Will can’t help but already like him. He’s raised a cup for Harry, and without Harry even saying anything, he already knows what Harry wants (a good night's sleep, really). He should stop watching, though, so he busies himself with finally returning to pulling everything out. HE feels like he’s forgetting something, though, but he can’t put his finger on it.</p><p>By the time he’s finally started on the essay, Harry's returned with a coffee, grinning to himself. Usually, Will would question him, but he needs to start on the essay before he forgets. He does ask him why he’s grinning so hard, though.</p><p>“Professor moved the due date up.” Will drops his book, staring at Harry. “It’s due in two and a half hours.”</p><p>“<em> What </em>.” Will drags out, staring at Harry. “Why the fuck did you not tell me this sooner?”</p><p>“I honestly forgot.” Harry shrugged, and Will groaned, grabbing his hair in his hand. He just starts muttering fuck as he rushes to type, trying to at least get two paragraphs done before he makes himself go get coffee.</p><p>12 minutes later, with 2 hours and 38 minutes still left, he finally relents and abandons the one paragraph he has written to head up to the counter. He’s already pulled out his card and pays without thinking, smiling at the shorter man in front of him. Except, the man apparently had a different agenda, because he just hands him a large of his drink.</p><p>“I paid for a small, though, you can’t let me have this!” Will protests, trying to give it back, to try and get the small he ordered, but the man persists, setting his hands down on the counter, like he’s trying to not leave any space for Will to put it down, or any hands for Will to put it in.</p><p>“It’s on the house, alright? Harry tells me that you need it, badly.” Will smiles at that, because of course Harry would go tell someone that. “Just take it. You’re gonna need it if you want to complete that essay.” Will sighs, but he takes it, just as much for the barista as himself, and gives the man a smile as he walks away, back towards the booth where Harry’s waiting with a cheeky smile.</p><p>The man’s name tag said his name was Tom, and he can’t help but repeat his name silently as he walks, repeating it until he’s sure he won’t forget his name, and he decides he likes the name Tom in his mouth. Likes the way it sounds, and tastes, as he drinks the coffee.</p><p>He barely talks to Harry until he’s done, and it’s a mix between spite and trying to just get the damn writing done, but when he finally finishes, he leans back, popping his back. Harry full on cringes at that, and he grins twisting his head to pop the neck as well.</p><p>“You’re so fucking gross.” Harry groans out, repeating it but slightly louder when he pops his fingers. “Stop before I just drop you off in the middle of the city and let you make your own way home.”</p><p>“Do it, pussy.” He grins, because he knows Harry wouldn’t abandon him.</p><p>Finally, near an hour and a half later, they start to leave, talking to Lauri for a few minutes. Harry heads towards the door, but Will doesn’t, instead moving towards the counter, where the brown-haired boy is. He’s sat down, reading a book, and Will can tell it’s Hamlet, and he can tell from the way that the boy hasn’t even noticed him yet that the book’s good. He coughs, and Tom looks up at that, shutting his book quickly as he leans up.</p><p>“Yes! Sorry, is there anything you need?” He asks, and Will smiles at how <em> earnest </em> he sounds, shaking his head.</p><p>“I just wanted to thank you, for giving me that large when you didn’t have to. You should’ve told me that you had already pre made it, so that I could’ve paid for a large instead of a small.” Will tells him, and he isn’t trying to sound good. It’s just, he’s only been in this shop for 4 hours, only learned of its existence today, and he doesn’t want it to suffer because he has an essay and Tom decided to be nice.</p><p>“It wasn’t a problem, really.” Tom says, looking down, away from Will. “You just needed it really badly, so I made it.” </p><p>“Can I at least pay you back for it?” Will tries, and he nearly laughs when Tom shakes his head.</p><p>“The only thing I can accept are tips.” Tom says with a grin, and Will just sighs, but he doesn’t do it in a mad way or anything. It’s just the situation is nice, and he does it as a joke, smiling as he pulls out his wallet. “Wait, I was kidding-” Tom starts, but Will hands him a $10, the smallest bit of cash he has in his wallet.</p><p>“Well you said the only thing you can accept are tips,” Will smiles, and even though it’s not that much, Tom still looks up at him shocked, “So that’s what I will be giving you.”</p><p>“No, I can’t-“ Tom starts, but Will walks away before he can protest or remember that he can give the money back to Will, and he waves as he finally stands by Harry and walks out the shop with him.</p><p>“You already like Tom, huh?” Harry grins, and Will sighs.</p><p>“That obvious, huh?” He had come out to Harry accidentally when he met him, and panicked for a solid two hours until Harry was finally able to calm him down and tell him that he’s gay. He’d nearly cried into Harry's shoulder then, but now they freely joke about it whenever possible, just grinning when they see someone glare at them.</p><p>“You were making heart eyes at him from the booth, and I could tell that without even seeing you.” Harry says, and Will shoves him. “See! You didn’t try to tell me that I was wrong!”</p><p>“I can’t tell you that you’re wrong when you aren’t!” Will says, and Harry laughs, filling the silence with the sound. “You joke about it but it’s true, and you know it!”<br/>
<br/>
“I am the master of the gays!” Harry exclaims, raising his arms out. “I will protect all who come to stay underneath my arms, and if you wanna leave me because you figured out your identity, that’s okay!”</p><p>“Harry, stop.” Will laughs, pulling his arms down. “We need to let other people by.”</p><p>“Will, I’m taller than everyone on this street, except for you. They can walk under.” He does put down his arms, though, taking the book that Will offered to him. “Where are you headin now?”</p><p>“I thought I might at least try to look at the bookstore that’s just down the street.” Will says, shrugging. “I kinda want to get some more books.”</p><p>“Will, you own like 600 of them already.” Harry says, glancing at him as they walk. “I think you have enough to have a library.”</p><p>“For your information, it’s 471, and there’s never something called too many books.” Will grins, pulling out his phone. “I have a list of like, maybe 100 books to get? And it’s like a hydra. Every time I buy 1 book 3 more get added in its place.”</p><p>“Why the fuck did you count how many books you have?” Harry questioned, and Will pulled his bag up higher on his shoulder.</p><p>“Ok look, when you’re a writer and that’s your job and you have writer’s block, you have to find <em> something </em> to keep yourself entertained.” He explains, and Harry just sighs and nods. “You can’t tell me you haven’t counted your 34 books before.”<br/>
<br/>
“For your information, it’s <em> 35 </em>.” He said, imitating Will’s earlier speech, and Will only shoved him in response. “Almost said something stupid, but it’s just occured to me that I forgot to buy something, so I should probably get to that.”</p><p>“Do you wanna go get it while I browse the bookstore?” He asks, and Harry nods before running away, and all he can do is put a hand to his head as he shakes it.</p><p>“Why is it always Harry?” He mutters to himself as he walks down the sidewalk, but there’s a smile on his face to show that he’s not saying it rudely.</p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>He asked Harry if he could get a coffee for him from the shop. He’s stuck at his apartment all day, because when he first moved here, he set this day as the day that he would just write. Stay home and try to write, and he couldn’t leave the place until he got 10 pages done. Except, he forgot that he’s dumb, and stupid, and there’s a lot of times where he can’t actually write because he can’t think about anything other than the fact that he hasn’t finished a movie he started three months ago, and it’d be so simple to just finish it, he’s just dumb and tired and he’s already gone down this train of thought many times before this day.</p><p>“Tough time?” Harry asks sympathetically, and all Will can do is groan into his desk. “What’s happened in your story so far?”</p><p>Will doesn’t stop to explain who each character is or what the plot is, because Harry’s already heard them dozens of times in the last week, when Will tries to write and just questions himself.</p><p>“Well, Dean’s just gotten stabbed, and George is holding him in his arms, and he’s trying to get him to the nearest First Aid Post, but he knows he’s not going to survive, so he’s just talking to him, trying to tell him that he’ll get the message, but I just don’t know what to say.”</p><p>Harry’s moved to stand beside him as he stares at the screen, repeating the words to himself.</p><p>“What if you have George tell Dean he knows the way, and so those are the last words he hears as he dies, with his hand clutched over George’s, where George is trying to stop the bleeding the best he can?”</p><p>“Harry, you’re an asshole. I love it.” Will grins, and Harry smiles bashfully. “If people blame me for this, I’m just gonna redirect everything to you.”</p><p>“No, no, you can’t, because <em> you’re </em> the one who decided to write it and accept the idea.” Harry protests, and Will just sighs, even though he knows it’s true.</p><p>Harry collapses onto the couch, pulling out his phone and earphones, and they spend the next few hours in silence, Will working on his book and Harry watching movies on his phone. It’s calming, and when Will finally stops and leans back, popping his back, he finds that he’s written 11 pages, only 1 over his goal. He grins, and just takes a final sip of his coffee before dropping the cup in his trash. Harry doesn’t look over at him, absorbed into his movie, so Will just collapses onto the couch beside him, turning on the tv and keeping the volume low as he starts his own movie.</p><p>He’s nearly an hour into it when Harry drops his phone and looks at him, speaking softly.</p><p>“Can I stay with you tonight?” He asks, and Will nods before he can start to elaborate. “Lauri kicked me out to tonight, telling me she needs to have a girl’s night with Eleanor, and I don’t know where else to go, and-”<br/>
<br/>
“Harry, it’s alright. You can stay, I promise. You don’t need to worry, alright?” Will tells him, and when Harry still looks panicked, he slowly moves towards him, wrapping his arms around him. Harry returns it, gripping him tight, and he doesn’t say anything when he feels the tears on his shoulder or hears the shuddering breaths the man takes. He just tries to sooth him the best he can. “You’re okay.” He tells him, stroking the back of his head, and he can’t tell if the shudder from Harry’s body is from him still crying or trying to tell Will that he knows, but he doesn’t question it, and just lets Harry do his own thing.</p><p>They sit there, together, and it’s either a few seconds or a few minutes later that Harry pulls back, blonde hair ruffled and eyes red. He doesn’t let go of Will, hands still resting in his own, and Will doesn’t try to pull away, trying to let Harry know that he won’t let go.</p><p>“I’m sorry.” Harry speaks finally, staring down at the couch. Will doesn’t speak, waiting for him to talk again, to tell him what he needs to know. “I didn’t mean to cry in your t-shirt, or cry on your shoulder, or just cry in your place, in general.”</p><p>“Harry, I’ve told you this already, but it’s okay, alright?” Harry doesn’t look convinced, still, so Will continues speaking, trying to fill the silence left in the room. “You’d do the same for me, but I did it because that’s just what friends do. I help you when you need it, and that’s all I have to do. I want to do it, to help you, and-”<br/>
<br/>
“Thank you.” Harry interrupts, and Will looks at him, waiting for him to speak. “Not to suddenly get all sad, but thank you, really. I’ve known you for two weeks and you’ve been so kind to me in all this time, and I really feel like you’re already one of, if not my closet, friends. You’re just so nice and you do tons of things to help me when I don’t deserve it, but all I can say right now is thank you.” Harry smiles, seeming to use that to show that he’s finished speaking, and Will leans forward to bring him into another hug, trying to just use it to show that it’s okay.</p><p>“Do you wanna watch a movie tonight?” He asks, and when Harry nods, he hands the remote to him, letting him choose the movie. It’s a quiet sort of night, them just watching, and if they fall asleep on the couch together, then there’s nobody there to say a word.</p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>Will wakes up with a crick in his neck. It hurts, and he takes a Tylenol when he reaches his kitchen, trying not to wake Harry up with his noise. When he heads back through the living room to get to his room, he finds that he already failed, with Harry sat up on the couch, the blanket pulled around himself as he scrolls through his phone.</p><p>“Do you wanna change?” He asks, moving when Harry nods to hurry to the drawers in his room, pulling out clothes he knows that Harry likes. He hands them to the man and disappears back into his room to change, going ahead and pulling on the shoes he’s gonna wear. It’s cold outside, so he wears a sweater (unsurprisingly) and black jeans, and Harry compliments his converse high-tops when he comes out. They’re almost the exact pair he wears everyday, except they’re light blue to match his sweater, and he just grins and thanks Harry, like he always does when the man tells him he looks great in a sweater.</p><p>“Want a lift to the shop?” He asks, and Harry shakes his head, stretching back on the couch.</p><p>“I don’t wanna make you drive me back just so I can get my car, so I’ll come in a minute.” He nods, trusting Harry in his apartment.</p><p>“Just make sure to lock the doors when you leave, alright?” He says, leaning down to scratch at Marshmallow’s head. She hadn’t joined them in the living room last night, and he doesn’t stop to question why.</p><p>“Of course I will, Will. What do you think I am? A criminal?” He asks, and Will laughs, shaking his head.</p><p>“You’re just forgetful sometimes, that’s all.”</p><p>He leaves, shutting the door behind him. He can hear Harry moving around as he closes it, but he doesn’t question it, hurrying to his car. It’s nearly 11:30, and he’s trying to get to the shop before 12, and he doesn’t know why he’s so inclined to get there soon (except he does, the thought of Tom flashing in his mind) but he does want to hurry, to at least accomplish this goal.</p><p>So he plays Hozier as he drives, listening to the almost calming noise as he pulls his sunglasses over his eyes, trying to block out the sunlight coming at him. It helps calm his beating heart, and it’s almost normal before he pulls into the lot of the shop, pulling the sunglasses off and stuffing them into a little space in his car. His hands nearly shake when he does it, but he has no clue why (at least, that’s what he tells himself) and he just ignores it the best he can as he climbs out of his car, locking it and continuing into the shop.</p><p>He knows he must look a mess, but he doesn’t bother to fix his hair, and instead he steps up to the counter to order a coffee. Tom’s working, and he smiles at him as he takes down his order. He stops when someone walks in, a man that looks to be just as handsome as Tom, and Tom excuses himself to rush over to the man.</p><p>Will can’t help but feel a flare of jealousy as he stares at the man speaking to Tom, pulling a phone out of his pocket and handing it to Tom. Tom thanks him and grins, coming back over to Will, and the jealousy must still be there, because there’s no other explanation for why he says what he does after he hands Tom his money.</p><p>He coughs, and speaks, and it’s a horrible decision, really, but he says, “So, that’s your boyfriend, huh?” </p><p>Tom coughs, then, and Will feels concerned, and it must be on his face, because Tom starts to laugh, sinking down from standing too heavily leaning on the counter, body shaking. The man he had been talking to, the one who he assumes is Tom’s boyfriend, hasn’t left the shop either, so they’re both at different points of the counter, staring at Tom as he laughs. A minute later, he’s finally speaking, chuckling as he faces Will.</p><p>“He’s not my boyfriend, Will.” Tom laughs again, and Will is still very incredibly confused, especially as to why he was laughing then, but the next sentence causes a blush to develop on his face. “He’s my brother.”</p><p>“Oh, fuck.” Will says, and his face turns pinker as the man walks over, clearly hearing just the end of the conversation. He has a smile on his face, and Will tries to fix it, speaking before anything else. “I’m <em> so </em>sorry-”</p><p>“Will, mate, already I love you.” Joe interrupts before he can finish, causing his face to turn even redder. “As soon as my annoying little brother finishes your drink, how about I show you around town, because I heard you the other day telling Leslie that you have no fucking clue about what’s going on in this town.”</p><p>“Uhh sure?” Will answers, and he doesn’t question himself on making it sound like a question. Joe just claps his shoulder and walks away, sitting at a table by the door. And it's clear that he’s just waiting for Will to get his coffee and be done, so he turns back to Tom.</p><p>“I’m sorry for him, but it is probably best that he takes you out to show you around.” Tom says as he makes the drink, his back to Will. It’s easy to see he knows what he’s doing, so Will doesn’t question if he’s not focused. “You’d probably get lost otherwise.”</p><p>“Yeah, true.” Will says, and he stares at Tom, but looks away before Tom can see that, not wanting to let it be known that he actually likes him, so he looks at the decorations on the wall instead. “Here’s your drink! You better have fun while you’re out with Joe, or he’ll badger me for weeks and tell me that I have the worst regulars at my shop.”</p><p>Will chuckles, and he takes the iced coffee out of his Tom’s hands as he opens a straw for it. “I’ll try to smile at least once where he can see it, then, and not try to hide them all away.”</p><p>“There ya go!” Tom says, and he waves him away as Will heads towards Tom’s brother. Before they even get out the door, the man introduces himself to Will, a smile on his face.</p><p>“I’m Joe.” He says, and Will smiles, introducing himself back.</p><p>They walk out on the street, and Joe grins, pulling out the keys to his car. “Wanna go for a drive?” He asks, and Will laughs, following him as he unlocks his car.</p><p>“Of course I do.” He grins as he climbs in, closing the door and buckling himself in as Joe climbs in as well.</p><p>“I bet whoever has that car must be either the luckiest or greatest person alive,” Joe says, and when he points at the car, Will follows his finger to find that he’s pointing at his convertible, and he grins, because it’s almost like a scene straight from a movie, but he just nods and agrees with Joe. “Now, do you want me to start from a certain place, or no?”</p><p>“Joe, you’re free to do whatever you decide is best for my ‘experience’.” He says, doing the marks in the air, and Joe just grins and pulls out of the lot. “I have no clue what’s even in this town, other than the bookstore and the coffee shop, so you’re free to do whatever.”</p><p>“You don’t even know where the grocery is?” Joe asks, glancing over at him as he drives, and Will shakes his head, before realizing that he can’t even see that.</p><p>“Not at all. I’ve just been using the one nearest my apartment.”</p><p>“You don’t live in the town?” Joe asks, and Will disagrees out loud.</p><p>“No, no. I live like 30 minutes away in some apartment that was the cheapest, nicest one I could find, so that I can be near college.” Will explains, and Joe whistles next to him, grinning.</p><p>“Nice college boy, ay?” He says, and Will chuckles at that, shaking his head.</p><p>“You act like that, but I don’t think I’m an actual college boy when I only know 3 people at college, and in my life here.” Will laughs, but he can feel Joe’s concerned stare on him. He ignores it, though, and Joe breaks the silence that had settled a moment later.</p><p>“Who are the 3 people that you know, if you don’t mind me asking?”</p><p>“Oh, you probably don’t know them, but their names are Eleanor, Harry, and Leslie. I know Harry because he started to argue with me over a book I was reading, but I know Eleanor and Leslie from my screenwriting class.” Will tells him, and Joe seems to think for a moment, whispering something to himself before finally saying it.</p><p>“You know Leslie?” He asks, and Will tells him yes, he does. “Huh. I know him too, and he just came into the coffee shop yesterday.”</p><p>“Probably trying to catch my dumb ass.” Will mutters to himself, and when Joe snorts, his face turns red. “You weren’t supposed to hear that.”</p><p>“Of course not.” Joe says, and before Will can even say anything, he parks in front of a grocery store, unlocking the car, and Will follows him out.</p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>“So how was your fun day?” Harry asks, and Will laughs, sitting down on the floor to tug off his shoes.</p><p>“Tiring. He drove me to a grocery, and then we walked all over the town, with him pointing out everything to me, and then he accidentally let it slip that he thinks me and Tom would be nice together, which is unexpected, but it’s whatever. Then we walked again and we got ice cream and ate it together, and then I accidentally made his choke on his water so I felt bad for a while, and then he dropped me off at the coffee shop and told me that he enjoyed hanging out with me, even if I almost made him die twice.” He shrugs, and when he stands back up after taking his converse off, he realizes that Harry hasn’t spoken yet, and when he looks back, Harry’s just staring at him. “What?” He asks, almost self-consciously, and Harry can’t seem to speak, because he just waves his hands around.</p><p>“How do you just act like that, when Tom basically gives you permission to try and date your crush?” Harry says, and Will shrugs, disappearing down the hallway for a moment to throw his shoes in his room before he comes back. “Joe just basically admitted that he wouldn't mind if you try to date Tom! And if he only met you today, that must mean that Tom’s been talking about you, <em> right </em>?”</p><p>“I guess.” Will says, not confidently, and Harry just groans as he falls back on the couch, mimicking himself dying.</p><p>“Will, I’m sorry, mate, but you’re as blind as a bat.”</p><p>“Harry, for that comment, you’re being forced to sleep on the couch tonight.” He says, pointing at him, and Harry just shrugs as he rests his feet at the other end.</p><p>“You act like that’s a punishment. Have you felt your bed? It’s fuckin bumpy, dude.” He says, and Will mock gasps, resting a hand on his heart.</p><p>“You’ve betrayed me.” He says, and Harry just laughs at him. “That’s it. I lied. You’re being forced to sleep on my bed tonight.”</p><p>“I refuse to get up, so if you want me to be moved there, you have to move me yourself.” Harry says, and Will cracks his knuckles, starting to move towards him. “You can’t be serious. Are you actually gonna try to lift me up?”</p><p>“What do you mean <em> try </em>?” Will says, and Harry just looks at him as he stands beside the couch. “I am strong. I can easily lift you up.”</p><p>“You’re really gonna test that, huh?” Harry raises an eyebrow, and when the arms snake under his body, he just sighs, and Will can tell he’s preparing himself. “Do you want to count down, or-?”</p><p>Harry doesn’t get to finish his sentence because he interrupts himself with a shout, suddenly held bridal-style in Will’s arms. His arms come to wrap around Will’s neck, and he pulls himself close, refusing to look around.</p><p>“Do you still think that I can’t lift you up?” Will says, and Harry groans.</p><p>“Fuck you.”</p><p>“Do you want me to drop you right now?” Will says, and Harry tightens his hold on him.</p><p>“Fuck no. If you drop me and I break something, I <em> will </em> sue you for everything that you fucking own, Will.” Harry says, and Will laughs at that. He does put Harry down carefully, though, and the moment that Harry’s fully on the ground he moves away from Will and drops onto the couch, glaring at him. “I hate you.”</p><p>“No, you don’t.” Is Will's response, and Harry groans and drops his head back.</p><p>“I don’t like that you’re right.”</p><p>Will laughs, again, and even though Harry just told him that he hates him, he can’t help but smile. Will eventually goes into the kitchen to get coffee, and then they start on a new movie, ignoring all of their responsibilities for Kill Bill Vol. 1.</p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>It’s been a month, and Will honestly doesn’t know where he’d be without this coffee shop. Or Tom. Tom’s the important part.</p><p>“When do you have a free day?” Will asks the next day as he stands at the counter, waiting for Tom to ring in his order. Tom seems to get distracted, eyebrows scrunched together in confusion as he changes his focus from the screen to Will. A moment later, he finally makes a <em> huh </em>noise, so Will tries to clarify his statement. It’s Monday, so he can understand why Tom’s seemingly acting so tired. “Like, when do you have a day off? I wanna hang out with you, because even though we tell each other we're best friends, we’ve never talked outside of this shop.” He adds before Tom can interrupt.</p><p>“I got about half of the week off.” He says, focus moving back to the screen, and typing in the order. “From Wednesday to Sunday, and then I work until Thursday, and then I’m off for a couple days. Would that work?”</p><p>“Oh yeah, definitely. I work from home, so whenever you’re free, so am I.” He says without thinking, and he hopes Tom doesn’t realize that his face is a light pink shade as well. He can see that Tom’s has started to barely turn pink, so he looks away to look at the other parts of the shop, even though he’s been in her many times over the past month and knows everything that he wants to know. He doesn’t want to make Tom feel too embarrassed.</p><p>“What would we do?” Tom asks, setting his drink down on the counter, and Will turns back around to face the man. “Like, would we just go and hang out?”</p><p>“I was thinking maybe going to a bookstore? Like maybe a second hand bookstore if you wanted to?” He offers, immediately trying to hint that yes, he’s poor and needs to not spend so much money. He doesn’t say it’s because he spends all his time here, spending money on coffee when he has a perfectly good coffee pot at home. He smiles after he finishes speaking, but he smiles brighter once Tom speaks as well.</p><p>“That’d be nice.”  Tom agrees, looking back up at Will. He smiles when he sees him, and Will can’t help but feel better. </p><p>“Do you mind if I have your number, so that we can plan it?” Will asks, pulling out his phone, and Tom pulls out his own, and they swap, putting each other in. Will grins, waiting for Tom to read what he’s put himself as, he knows when Tom’s read it, because he looks up at him, clearly going to say something but deciding against it.</p><p>“I guess soon enough we’ll be planning this, best friend.” Tom says, and it sounds wrong coming from his mouth, and Will doesn’t mean to, but he cringes when he hears it, and he knows Tom doesn’t fault him for cringing because he’s slightly cringed as well. “Maybe I’ll even invite you over to my apartment for the first time.”</p><p>“Ooh, you tryna drag me into something, Blake?” Will raises an eyebrow, trying to imply that it means something even worse, but Tom just shrugs and smiles, that clearly betraying himself for the next word he speaks.</p><p>“Maybe.” Tom drags out for a second, before finally sliding a straw over beside the drink. Will picks it up and smiles at him before he goes back to his booth, where he has papers scattered around his laptop. They’re to help him actually get at least two pages done of his book today, and hopefully no one else will know this (except for if Harry sees).</p><p>When he sits down, though, he pulls out his phone and clicks on Tom’s contact, typing out a message. He sends a simple<em> hey ;) </em> and when he sees Tom look down and grin, he smiles to himself. He’s glad he finally got brave enough to ask, and he tells himself that he can’t wait to be able to text him at any time.</p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>Will can tell that Tom’s never seen this bookstore from the way that his breath catches when he pulls into the parking lot.</p><p>“Woah.” Tom breathes out, and Will laughs at that, driving around, trying to find a good parking spot.</p><p>“Bigger than you expected?” Will says as he spots one, and he’s pulling in as Tom nods. “That’s how I felt the first time I saw it too.”</p><p>“How do they have so many books, though? I wish I could own this many!” Tom exclaims, and Will just laughs, parking the car.</p><p>“Just wait till you see the inside.” He unlocks the car, climbing out as Tom scrambles out of it, leaning back in to grab his wallet as Tom pats his pockets to make sure that he has his. </p><p>“You ready?” Will asks Tom, and he nods, walking around the car to stand beside Will as the taller man pulls out his keys. They don’t move until the car’s been locked, and Tom instantly starts rambling the moment they start walking, and to anyone else it’d probably be annoying, but to Will, it’s cute.</p><p>“How many books do you own?” Tom asks as they get near the entrance, dodging the few people leaving the store.</p><p>“Almost 500, I think?” Will says, and he isn’t sure of his answer, because he hasn't gotten bored enough to count in a little bit.</p><p>“Will, that’s so fucking cool.” Tom says behind him, and he can feel him grab onto his sweater as someone pushes past him, and he thinks it’s so that Tom doesn’t lose him in this place, especially not before they get inside. “I think I own like 56 and that’s it.”</p><p>“How do you read so many books, then? I see you with a new one every week.” Will says as they enter the store, Tom standing beside him.</p><p>“The library.” Tom shrugs, "I also steal from Joe a lot." Will chuckles at that, and when he looks beside him, Tom’s looking around the building with a look of wonder in his eyes. It’s December, so the place has been decorated to look at least slightly festive, a stack of books near the front put in such a way that it’s supposed to look like a Christmas tree, with paper lines across it, acting like the lights for it. Bits of paper are on the ground, probably meant to look like snow, and the rows of books have small decorations on them. Tom looks like he’s thinking that he’s died and gone to heaven.</p><p>“So I presume you like it?” Will finally asks after a moment of staring at the expression on Tom’s face, and the man turns to him, the brightest grin he’s ever seen settled comfortable on the man’s face.</p><p>“This is the best place I’ve ever been to.” Tom says, and he suddenly hugs Will. Will wasn’t expecting it, but he does wrap his arms back around him. He lets go when Tom does, the younger man stepping back to look at him, the grin still having not left his face. “Thank you so much for taking me here.”</p><p>Oh. He wasn’t expecting that. “Oh, you’re welcome.” He replies, and looks around the store, trying to find something to show Tom, to get out of his moment, because if they don’t get out of it soon, he might kiss him. “Do you wanna explore on your own and find some books, or do you wanna stick with me and guide you away?”</p><p>“Whichever one would cause the least trouble for you.” Tom replies, and Will smiles at that, because Tom really is just a kind man.</p><p>“Guess I’ll be showing you the way.” He says, and starts towards the rows. He can hear Tom following beside him, his footsteps nearly quiet on the carpet. When they speak, they speak quietly, like they’re 12 and in a library, scared of getting kicked out, even though they can hear at least 30 other people talking. It’s better this way, however, so they continue to speak this way.</p><p>Will shows him the horror aisle first, obviously. It’s what he likes, so he shows Tom it first. They move onto the other aisles, but by the end, Will’s holding 8 while Tom only has 3 in his arms. It’s a good amount, yeah, but Will brought him here so he could at least be able to get what he wanted and not get only a few books. When Will asks him why he’s not getting more, Tom just tells him that he can’t afford to buy anymore. His face must show his feelings, because Tom just tells him that it’s fine, and if he really needs something, he can just make Joe go get it for him later. Will wants to say something, but he’s next in line and forced to cut the conversation short.</p><p>However, Will makes a little plan, and once they’ve reached the car and Will’s started it, reading to go home, he smacks his forehead.</p><p>“I forgot to get a book I need for class.” Will tells Tom, and it isn’t a lie, because he is a dumbass and forgot to grab it, but this just helps aid his little plan. He looks for his wallet, and finds where he had thrown it in, holding it up as he speaks. “Do you mind if I run back in to grab it?”</p><p>“Of course not!” Tom says, unbuckling to lean his back against the door frame. “Just don’t let me freeze to death.”</p><p>“I’m keeping the car on, you drama queen.” Will says, climbing out and locking the door. He heads towards the store, and instantly heads towards the horror aisle. Tom had picked up some books and then set them back down, clearly the ones he wanted to buy and couldn’t afford, so Will pulls up the list he had made on his phone of them, his only goal to get them and leave. Luckily, no one else had picked them up and bought them, or moved them back in their proper places, so Will’s lucky enough to easily be able to grab them and the book he needs and get in line.</p><p>The cashier grins and asks why he’s back so soon, and he just shrugs and tells her that he forgot to get some books. She doesn’t ask anything else, and he’s able to go back to his car soon enough. He throws the bag in the back, and Tom yawns as he sits up, asking him a question.</p><p>“What’d you get?” Tom asks as he starts to buckle up.</p><p>“Frankenstein.” Will tells him, buckling up.</p><p>“That’s a really good book. You’re definitely going to enjoy it.” Tom tells him, and Will nods, pulling the car into reverse. </p><p>“Have you read it?” Will asks as he backs up, looking back to make sure he doesn’t hit anyone or anything.</p><p>“Course not. I’m a poor bastard. But Joe says it’s good, and I trust Joe.” Tom leans his head against the window as Will pulls out of the lot, and it’s surprising for him to glance over a few minutes later and find Tom asleep, head against the window still. He turns his music down slightly and continues the way he was going, the only difference being that the thought of Tom is strong in his head.</p><p>Tom had told him his address so he could take him home, so there’s no question as to what his address is. Soon enough, he’s pulled up beside the sidewalk, and he unlocks his car, stepping out carefully to move over to the other side of the car. He nearly pulls Tom out and carries him to the door, but that’d be fucking weird, going up to Joe with his passed out brother in his arms. Instead, he just knocks on the door and tells Joe that he has his passed out brother in his car and a bunch of books that Tom bought.</p><p>Surprisingly, Joe doesn’t act like it’s bad that he just said that he has his passed out brother and just tells Will that he’ll grab the books so that Will can carry Tom inside. He’s grinning when he says it, and it’s not in a ‘I know you like him’ kinda way. It’s more of a ‘I think that I know that you’re not strong enough to carry him and will collapse under the pressure’ kinda way. He’s wrong, though, so very wrong.</p><p>Carefully, Will lifts him out of the car, bridal style. Joe’s holding the door open, and he steps past him, through the doorway, and waits for Joe to point him in the right direction before going to Tom’s room. He sets him down on his bed, and closes the door behind him as he walks out of the room, to find Joe with two cups of coffee.</p><p>“Want one?” Joe asks, holding up the cup with a cat face painted on, and Will nods, walking as quietly as he can over to Joe. They lean against the counter together, and it’s a comfortable silence, giving Will some much needed calmness after the day. It’s not even 4, but he does feel slightly tired, and he can’t tell if that’s just because of a caffeine crash or because of being around Tom.</p><p>“Thanks.” He finally says a few minutes later, and he doesn’t say anything more, but he knows Joe can hear the unspoken <em> for helping me carry in the bags, for being nice to me since i’ve moved here, for giving me permission to date your brother </em>.</p><p>“Of course.” Joe tells him, and they go back into silence.</p><p>Will downs the rest of his drink in one go, and sets it down on the counter, while Joe just gives him a confused look.</p><p>“I’m sorry, but I have to go.” He says as explanation, and Joe makes a noise, setting his drink down.</p><p>“Sorry you have to go, but it was good seeing you again. Thank you.” He tells him, and Will can hear the unspoken <em> for carrying in my brother </em> , so he just smiles and tells him <em> of course </em>.</p><p>Of course he would do that.</p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>Will wakes up to the sound of his phone ringing. He groans, hand scrambling for it as he tries to grab it without looking. He succeeds, and he doesn’t even look at who’s calling before clicking answer and holding it up to his ear.</p><p>“Hello?” He mumbles into the phone, and he can hear how tired he sounds. </p><p>“Why do I have an entire bag of books I didn’t buy?” Tom asks instantly, and he’s silent for a moment, trying to process what the fuck he’s talking about, but then it clicks, the memory of last night coming back.</p><p>“Oh, it was because I didn’t like the fact that I got more books than you, and I could tell you had wanted more and just couldn’t get them, so when I had to get a book for class, it was really for me to go back in and get every book you had wanted. And I know you didn’t tell me to get them, but you had looked really happy when you saw them so I just really wanted to get them for you so that you’d be happy.” Will explains quietly, nearly yawning at the end, and all he can hear is the sound of Tom breathing on the other end.</p><p>“You didn’t have to do that.”  Tom says a moment later, and Will shrugs.</p><p>“Yeah, but I did.” He says simply, and he hears Tom’s sharp intake of breath on the other end.</p><p>“Will…” Tom starts, and he trails off, seeming as if he’s about to speak but can’t think of what he’s going to say. Will stops him before he can finish, though.</p><p>“I know, Tom. And no, before you even try to say it, I won’t let you pay me back. I did that because I wanted to, not because I felt bad, alright? You deserved the books. Now you have 66 books.” Will says, and he doesn’t even notice that he remembered that small fact that Tom mentioned yesterday. “I just wanted you to have the books you wanted to have, alright? You deserved them.”</p><p>“Thank you, Will. I’m literally about to cry at this.” Tom laughs, and Will laughs at it too, a smile on his face. “Can I at least try to pay you back by hanging out together? Like, maybe we can go hang out at the park soon?”</p><p>“I’d like that.” Will says, and he smiles, wide. He wants to hang out with Tom, more than the small amount of time they spent together yesterday, and he honestly can’t wait.</p><p>“How about Friday?” Tom asks, and Will can hear him moving and nearly fall, laughing slightly when he hears the small fuck that Tom mutters. “Would that work for you?”</p><p>“Yeah, definitely.” Will replies, pulling his blankets back so that he can go find a clean sweater. “Where would you wanna meet up?”</p><p>“Maybe at the shop?” Tom says, and he can hear him rummaging through something. “We could get drinks to bring with us while we walked. Charlie probably wouldn’t mind us coming in.”</p><p>“Alright.” Will says, twisting to grab a sticky note and a pen off the floor. He opens the pen with his mouth and writes it down before he can forget, not wanting to miss this. “What time?”</p><p>“Maybe 11?” Tom suggests, and Will nods, even though Tom can’t see him.</p><p>“Alright.” He agrees, and he talks to him for a few more minutes before Tom ends the call, and Will groans, finally pulling himself out of his bed. He groans, again, but he needs to get up and at least put on pajamas so that he can work. He wants to get a couple pages done, and he’s trying to get through this scene, of George going through the broken city, so that he can finally rest. He knows what happens next, of George climbing into the room and meeting the teenager (who’s Claire) with a baby, but his only struggle is just describing everything. He’s trying his best, though.</p><p>So, he just climbs out of bed and ignores the mess that he’s made, and goes over to his desk, and he just tries to write.</p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>Will arrived earlier than he should have, but it’s fine, he tells himself. And it is, really. It’s fine, because it just gives him more time to himself to calm his beating heart and stop the shaking in his hands.</p><p>“Are you nervous?” Harry asks, sliding into the seat across from him, and he tries to give a smile to show that he isn’t, but the nervousness must bleed through because Harry’s grabbing his hand, holding it. “You’ll be fine, alright? You’re going on a date that isn’t really a date with Tom! You’re gonna have fun!”</p><p>“Yeah, but what if he realizes that I like him and tells me that he’s straight and hates me and then I can never go here again?” Will starts, but before he can tell an even worse thing Harry stops him, shaking his head.</p><p>“Will, listen to me. This is going to be an amazing time for you, alright? You are going to hang out with Tom and have an amazing time, and because you were brave enough to do this, I’ll actually try to talk to Charlie today, alright?” Harry says, and Will realizes he still hasn’t let go of his hand, and normally he would have pulled away by now, but it’s helping him calm down, so he doesn’t.</p><p>“Thank you, Harry.” He smiles, and Harry smiles back.</p><p>“Of course.”</p><p>The bell rings to the shop, and when he looks up, it’s Tom, standing beside the door, looking around the shop. When he spots Will, sitting near the back, he grins and starts towards him. </p><p>Harry lets go of Will’s hand, patting his arm before getting up.</p><p>“Good luck.” He tells him, and then greets Tom as he walks past him, heading towards the counter.</p><p>“Was Harry bothering you?” Tom asks with a grin, sliding into the seat, and Will shakes his head, smiling.</p><p>“No, no, he was just helping me with something really quick.” He tells him, and Tom takes this in without asking any questions, but Will can tell that he’s noticed that there’s no school work or anything physical for Harry to have helped with. “Do you wanna get some drinks to help keep us hot as we walk?”</p><p>“Oh, sure, yeah. You want a coffee with just creamer and sugar?” Tom asks, sliding back out again, and Will nods, thanking him as he walks up.</p><p>Harry was talking to Charlie, so the conversation pauses, but Will can see that Charlie likes talking to Harry, acts the same way around Harry that Will acts around Tom.</p><p>When their drinks are ready, Will gets out of his booth and comes up to Tom, thanking him again when Tom hands it to him.</p><p>“Of course.” Is just what Tom says, and Will says bye to Harry before they leave the shop together, walking on the sidewalk. Will can see Harry finally talking to Charlie again, laughing as they leave, so he doesn’t think that Harry will miss him too much.</p><p>“So, Will, what do you like to do when you aren’t hanging around my awesome coffee shop?” Tom asks, following beside Will.</p><p>“Well, I usually just write.” Will tells him, staring down at the sidewalk to make sure that he avoids the cracks. “When I’m not writing, though, I’m usually at the shop or at school.”</p><p>“Well, what about the other times?” Tom asks, and when Will looks beside him, he can see Tom following his steps, avoiding all the same cracks. He can see someone walking down the sidewalk ahead of them, but Tom doesn’t seem to see them.</p><p>“Watching movies and taking care of my cat.” He grins, gently pulling Tom out of the way of the person rushing. “I watched <em> Love, Simon </em>last night.”</p><p>“Oh, I love that movie!” Tom exclaims, grinning. “I think I watched it just the other day.”</p><p>“Yeah, I really love that movie.” Will smiles again, still taking care to avoid the cracks. “I think I’ve seen it 5 times at this point?”</p><p>“I wish I could watch something that much.” Tom tells him, and he smiles at him again.</p><p>They talk more as they walk, and eventually they end up at the park, throwing their drinks away and buying ice cream, even though it’s nearly 50 degrees outside. They ignore the cold weather, and even though Will’s shivering in his sweater, it’s nice. Not to mention, they’re the only ones in the park (the only ones stupid enough to be out right now) and it is a nice day, even with the coldness. They move to a bench by the fountain, and Will glances at Tom for a moment as he stares at the fountain, before looking away, staring at the top of the trees.</p><p>He doesn’t want to accidentally let it be known to Tom that he has a crush on him. He doesn’t want to look at him for too long, smile for a second after, hold on from a hug for a millisecond after, and have Tom jerk away from him, a horrified look on his face and a frown on his face, and have him say <em> do you like me? </em> , because Will doesn’t think that he can lie to him. He wouldn’t be able to lie and put a smile on his face and say <em> of course not </em>, because that’s a fucking lie, the biggest one. He would have to look Tom in his face and tell him that of course he fucking does, of course he loves him, and he would have to watch Tom tell him how much he’s going to hell, and then have to stare after him as he runs away, to delte his phone number and never talk to him again. He’s preparing for it already, because it happened with the last man in his last town, except he’d spat in Will’s face and told him he deserved to die.</p><p>Except, Tom seems too nice to do this. He knows that’s what he thought with the other man as well, but then again, the other man had gone to prison for a year for something, and he doesn’t think that Tom’s even met a policeman. But, Tom does seem too nice to even do that. He seems to care about Will, no matter when they had met, and that helps to calm Will’s anxiety, if only some.  At least, he thinks with Tom, if he figures out that Will likes him, he’ll probably just tell him that he doesn’t like Will that way and then they’ll move on.</p><p>He does care for Tom, deeply. And that’s weird, isn’t it? He hasn’t known this man for long, but he feels such a <em> deep </em> connection for him in his heart, as if he’s known him for a century instead of a month. And that sounds outrageous to think, but it’s <em> true </em>. He feels like he’s gone through war with this man, twice over, and he’s felt grief for this man. He just cares about this man so much, and it doesn’t feel normal, almost, but when he looks at Tom, it does, suddenly. He just cares about this man, deeply, and even though he doesn’t truly know why or how he feels this way, he won’t fight them. He won’t fight the feelings, because he feels the truth in them. He’s known Tom for such a short amount of time, compared to other people’s relationships, but he knows he does care for him.</p><p>And that’s slightly weird, isn't it? It is, but it’s fine, really. He cares for this man, and it’s fine because that’s what friends do, but the bigger thing is that he thinks that he loves Tom. And that should be what he’s worrying about, should be panicking about, but it’s just a simple fact that’s the truth. He loves Tom, he loves this man, and nothing can change that. It’s a fact, plain and simple. No matter how many nights he spends staring at his ceiling, wishing he didn’t, he does, and nothing could change that at <em> all </em>.</p><p>He glances over at Tom, and smiles when he sees the man staring at the fountain, a smile still on his face.</p><p>“Are you alright?” He asks Tom after a moment, and Tom seems to come out of whatever he was in, because his smile slips for a moment before coming back on his face when he looks at Will.</p><p>“Yeah,” Tom says, and it sounds like he has more to say in his sentence, but he doesn’t continue, and Will doesn’t ask. “Just got distracted, that’s all.”</p><p>“Don’t get too distracted, because I still wanna take you somewhere.” He tells him, and he focuses back on his ice cream, because he completely forgot about it. And actually, that’s a slight lie. He doesn’t completely focus on his ice cream, because he still takes small glances at Tom out of the corner of his eye, trying to keep this memory in his mind.</p><p>“Where are we going to go?” Tom asks when he’s finished his ice cream, and he hands a few napkins to Will, presumably so Will can wipe any of the ice cream off. He’s gotten up, so Will follows him, throwing his trash away. </p><p>“I didn’t know if you wanted to come see my cat or just do something else?” Will offers, and Tom seems to perk up, staring at Will.</p><p>“You have a cat?” Tom asks, and Will frowns for a second, because he feels like he’s told Tom that fact before, but Tom just either forgot or Will’s just going crazy. He nods, though, pulling out his phone and scrolling through his photos.</p><p>“Her name’s Marshmallow.” He finds a picture and shows it to Tom as they walk under the trees. “Even though she’s a black cat, I thought it suited her.”</p><p>“She’s so cute.” Tom turns, smiling up at Will. “Just like her owner.”</p><p>Will doesn’t react to it, but he can feel his face blushing at the unexpected comment (and flirting?) and he’s trying not to say anything but just, <em> what the fuck </em>. Tom changes the subject, thankfully, asking if he wants to go grab another coffee, and he agrees, making sure to not step on the cracks as they go down the sidewalk. Soon enough, they have their drinks and they’ve gotten into Will’s car, ready to go to his place. However, Will forgot to turn down his music, so when he starts the car, Green Day blares out, and his face turns pink as he scrambles to turn it down, glancing at Tom out of the corner of his eye.</p><p>“You like Green Day too?” Tom’s mouth is open, and Will nods, still worried, wondering if he’s gonna scream at him for it and yell at him because he likes it. “Turn that shit up then!” he says, and Will does, turning it up some, but not all the way.</p><p>“When we drive, we can let the windows down and turn it up louder.” He says as an explanation for it not being louder, and Tom just grins.</p><p>The moment they hit the highway, Tom rolls down his window, but Will decides to surprise him, grinning as he presses a button. The roof to the car goes down then, and he can see he scared Tom, if only for a second, because the man curses and calls him an asshole, but it’s fine. He turns up the music then, right as it changes to Doja Cat, and he finds his sunglasses and pulls them onto his face, grinning as the wind ruffles his face. </p><p>The music keeps changing, never staying on one artist for long, and it’s fun, being able to hear the music while also being able to hear Tom’s singing, screaming the lyrics as they drive. It’s funny, because he never would’ve expected to have the same taste as Tom, and yet here he is, Tom screaming every lyric while he can <em> feel </em> the <em> what the fuck </em> stares. Tom laughs, and Will glances over at him, smiling. He imagines they make quite the sight, sunglasses on and hair ruffled as they go down the highway, screaming lyrics to Doja Cat and 5 Seconds of Summer.</p><p>Will wishes he was brave enough to say it loud enough for Tom to hear, but he isn’t, so he settles for whispering a quiet <em> i love you </em> as he pulls off the highway, glancing over at Tom as the music changes to Paramore. He’s not brave enough to tell him this now, and he might not ever be able to tell him this, so it’s the best he’ll settle for, for now.  So, he whispers, and Tom doesn’t hear.</p><p>The music turns down as they go onto the slower roads, Tom getting Will’s permission to change the music to Harry Styles. Nobody is around, so he slows down, going under the limit. He doesn’t tell Tom, but it’s slightly because he wants to spend more time with him, and to stay in the moment of calmness, where only they exist and nothing else. The only sound that he can hear is them and the soft sound of Harry Styles, and he can’t help but hope that this won’t be the last time he experiences a moment like this with Tom.</p><p>Eventually, a few minutes later, he pulls into the lot for his building, and he climbs out, stretching, and then laughs at Tom’s hair. It’s ruffled, and when he points it out to Tom, Tom just points out his own, which has been more messed up by the wind than Tom’s. He walks over, smoothing down Tom’s hair for him, but quickly enough he messes it back up, Tom sticking his tongue out at him. Tom pulls his hoodie down and follows Will and he’s quiet as he follows Will to his door.</p><p>“I’m sorry if it’s messy. I forgot to clean up before you came over, and-” Will starts, before they can even go in, hands coming up to move as he speaks, but Tom surprises him by grabbing the one that was closest to his chest, holding it gently.</p><p>“It’s fine, Will. You should see my room.” He grins softly, and that relaxes Will, letting him grin back before unlocking his door.</p><p>His room looks messy to him, but he gets distracted by Marshmallow running to Tom, him already kneeling down to pet her. </p><p>“Hi, sweetheart.” He says as he scratches her head, scratching harder when she meows. A moment later, Will starts towards his kitchen, and Tom stands up to follow, Marshmallow clearly following him. Will pulls down some tea, and turns back to Tom before he starts, the apology already on the tip of his tongue. </p><p>“I’m sorry it’s kinda dirty.” He starts, but Tom interrupts before he can start to say his next sentence, confusion clear as day on his face. </p><p>“What do you mean dirty?” Will cocks his head at that, confused as well. Can Tom not see the books on the floor and the jacket that he’d carelessly thrown down the other day, that he had forgotten to pick up?</p><p>“There’s a jacket in the floor and books scattered around the room?” He says, and Tom shakes his head, almost laughing.</p><p>“Will, our definitions of dirty are very, very different.” Tom tells him, and Will laughs softly at that, shaking his head. Marshmallow meows loudly then, interrupting him before he can speak. She starts back the way she came, heading towards a room further back in the apartment. Will huffs, but he smiles, following her back to the laundry room, where her food and stuff is. He returns back to the kitchen soon enough, Marshmallow staying behind to eat.</p><p>“Had to feed her.” He explains, and Tom nods, seemingly not questioning it. “Do you want anything to drink? Tea, coffee, water?”</p><p>“I still need to finish my coffee from the shop before I drink anything else.” Tom holds up his cup, and Will nods, because he completely forgot about the drinks. </p><p>“Want a sandwich? Harry tells me I make a mean ham sandwich.” Will offers a moment later, because he’s just now realized that the only thing he’s seen Tom eat that day is the ice cream, and he thinks he remembers Tom saying that that’s the only thing he’s eaten. Tom agrees, though, and he adjusts his sunglasses on his head before pulling everything out, beginning to make it. He finishes it soon enough, and hands the plate to Tom. “Here you go.” He’s turned away to put everything back, and when he faces Tom again, the sandwich is gone, with just a plate left. He blinks, and doesn’t say anything about it. He just throws the plate away for Tom and goes into the living room.</p><p>Tom follows behind him, and they sit on the couch together, trying to decide which movie to watch (which Gay Movie™, really), and he find that he can trust Harry, because when Tom texts Harry to decide which movie, Harry picks Rocketman, even though he didn’t know that that was Will’s movie. Will cheers, while Tom grumbles next to him.</p><p>“He just likes you more.” Tom frowns, but he grins when Will shoves him. They start the movie, though, and Will notices that Tom doesn’t complain once the movie starts. He only speaks to say if he likes something, staying quiet, and that’s it. He does speak louder to ask where the bathroom is, though, and he thanks him just as quiet when Will points out where it is.</p><p>Tom doesn’t come back soon, and Will’s nearly started to worry when the man enters again, quiet as he settles back on the couch, legs crossed under him as he stares back at the screen. Will’s concerned, staring at him for a few minutes, and he’s about to speak up, to ask Tom what’s wrong, but Tom speaks before him, breaking the silence between them.</p><p>“Are you bothered by gay people?” It startles Will, and he pauses the tv before fully turning to Tom, trying to find something, anything, to say. When he speaks, he makes sure to speak softly, gently.</p><p>“No, I don’t. Why do you ask?” Will says, speaking as gently as he can, and he can see Tom’s eyes tear up, falling down his cheeks. </p><p>“It’s just,” Tom stops, clearly  struggling to let the words come out. “I’m gay.” He whispers, twisting his hands together as he stares down at his lap. It’s silent in the room, the only sound being their breathing, and Will’s the one to break the silence, staring at him.</p><p>“Tom,” Will says, in the tone reserved only for Tom, and Tom just breaks. The tears come down harder, and Will moves closer, wrapping him up in his arms. He holds Tom tightly, and he doesn’t want to let go, not for a long time, because how long has Tom held this back, scared of how Will would react? How long has he been scared to come out? He holds Tom tight, trying to use this hug to tell Tom that yes, he’s here, and he’s not going anywhere. Not now, not ever. “I’m here, Tom, I’m here.” Will tells him, nearly whispers it in his ear, and he can feel Tom cry harder, gripping him back. </p><p>It’s either been a few minutes or a few hours when they separate, Tom wiping his eyes as Will finally notices the wet patch on his shoulder. </p><p>“I’m sorry for crying all over you.” Tom apologizes, and Will smiles at him, shaking his head, reaching out to hold one of his hands.</p><p>“It’s fine, alright? Don’t worry about it.” Will tells him, smiling softly at Tom. “I feel like since you came out to me, I should come out as well.”</p><p>He can see Tom’s stutter at that, looking back up at Will, eyes searching his face for reasons unknown. It seems he can’t find what he was looking for, because he nearly starts to cry again, seeming to hold himself back to say a quiet <em> what? </em> before he can stop.</p><p>“I’m bisexual.” Will says, and he’s knocked over by Tom hugging him, nearly knocking them off the couch. They stay that way for a few minutes, before Tom pulls back, not letting go of Will as he speaks, eyes shining.</p><p>“I love you.” Tom tells him, and they both freeze, staring at each other in the silence. Tom seems to look panicked, but all Will can feel is <em> relief </em>.</p><p>“Thank fucking god.” Will sighs out, and Tom doesn’t have a chance to question why the fuck he said that before Will’s leaned forward to kiss him.</p><p>Tom’s lips are soft, is what he notes. They’re soft, and he can feel how Tom feels simply from this, his lips in the shape of a smile, and Will’s hand drifts up to rest on Tom’s cheek, while Tom’s hand has rested in Will’s hair, messing it up even more than it was. It’s nice, and when they finally pull back after a moment, needing to breathe, Tom’s eyes open to rest on Will, and Will’s eyes have opened to rest on Tom. Neither of them move their hands, content to leave them where they are for the moment.</p><p>“And here I thought I was dropping a good hint when I talked about<em> Love, Simon </em>.” Will grins, and Tom huffs out a laugh, leaning forward to rest his forehead on Will’s shoulder. “It took Rocketman for us to admit our love, huh?”</p><p>“Elton John would be proud.”  Tom tells him, his voice muffled by Wills sweater, and Will laughs at that, moving his hand from Tom’s cheek to his hair.</p><p>“Very proud.” Will agrees, and they fall silent, basking in the silence. It’s comfortable, and he can feel Tom falling asleep on his shoulder. He speaks up, though, before he can. “Do you wanna stay the night?”</p><p>“Very.” Tom tells him, yawning at the end. He pulls away from Will after a moment, clearly looking around for something. “I gotta text Joe before I forget to, so that he doesn’t panic and call the cops on me.”</p><p>“Oh, we don’t want that.” Will tells him, and he starts to say something else, to tell him something important, but Marshmallow interrupts him before he can, meowing. He leans forward, picking her up and gently dropping her in his lap. He starts to mess with her, rubbing her belly as he tells her how much of a sweetie she is. She doesn’t try to fight him, so he counts it as a good thing, other than her lazily swiping at him. </p><p>She’s calm, and he turns to grin at Tom before focusing back on her. Hopefully, he’ll have more moments like this, with Tom and Marshmallow in his apartment, but if he can’t, then this memory will be good enough.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hello i am on tumblr at @toddsandersons so. yell at me</p></blockquote></div></div>
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